Russell Casse
| deathdate = July 4, 1996 | profession = Crop duster pilot |children = Miguel Casse, Alicia Casse, Troy Casse |actor = Randy Quaid |firstseen = Independence Day |image = |caption = |deathplace = Area 51, Nevada|deathcause = Explosion/Suicide}} Russell Casse (died July 4, 1996) was a crop duster and Vietnam War pilot from Imperial Valley, California who sacrificed himself to destroy a City Destroyer threatening Area 51 during the War of 1996. History Background Russell served as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. Around 1986, Russell claimed that he was abducted by aliens. According to his testimony, they conducted several experiments on him that led to trauma and leading to his belief that they are planning to kill humanity. This earned Russell mockery from his peers and consternation from his family. When his wife got sick, he could not give her enough attention, because he was searching for clues about his abduction. This led to her death, and to Russell's drinking problem. He and his children live in a camper, and he worked as a crop duster pilot. War of 1996 By the advent of the aliens' arrival in July 1996, Russell was arrested for papering city hall with leaflets from his crop duster in an desperate attempt to warn the public that the aliens are a threat. However, Russell was soon released as the authorities are focused on more pressing matters in light of the aliens. After the aliens began their attack, Russell and his family joined a large group of refugees and come across Captain Steven Hiller with a subdued injured alien. Guided by Captain Hiller, the Casse family and the refugees traveled to Area 51. Russell later volunteered in President Whitmore's counterstrike on the aliens. During the attack on Area 51, Russell was integral in destroying the alien City Destroyer for piloting the only available fighter with a missile to destroy the Destroyer's main weapon. However, the missile was jammed. Russell then made a fateful decision by flying his jet directly into the weapon in a suicide attack. Before making his sacrifice, Russell sends a heartfelt request to ground control, which is also heard by his estranged son Miguel, to "Tell my children...I love them very much." After his sacrifice, Russell was remembered as a war hero, and his name is etched in a national memorial at Washington, D.C. alongside with other participants who also died during the War of 1996 after the capital was rebuilt.Independence Day: Resurgence His death served as an inspiration to Jake Morrison, who looked up to him as a role model for proving that a broken person can become a better person.Independence Day: Crucible Gallery Rus 00.png ScreenShhot097.jpg Rus_03.png ScresenShot050.jpg|Russell getting arrested. ScreenShotf053.jpg Rus_04.png ScreenShotk006.jpg Rus 10.png|"I won't let you down." Death and Sacrifice July4 54.png July4 55.png July4 56.png July4 57.png July4 58.png July4 58.5.png July4 59.png July4 60.png July4 61.png July4 62.png July4 69.png July4 70.png July4 71.png July4 72.png July4 73.png Alternate death Alternate ending 02.png Alternate ending 03.png Alternate ending 04.png Alternate ending 05.png Alternate ending 06.png Alternate ending 07.png Alternate ending 08.png Alternate ending 09.png Alternate ending 10.png Memorable Quotes Behind the Scenes *In the original ending of Independence Day, Russell was disallowed to fly. However, he arrives at the end of the battle flying his crop duster (which he has been towing behind his motor home) with a missile strapped to its wing and flying it into the City Destroyer's weapon. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin admitted that this implied that Russell flew into the battle planning to commit suicide since he could not launch the missile from his plane and therefore scrapped it in favor of having Russell making the decision to sacrifice himself after he was in the air helping the cause, both for the emotional reason of allowing the audience to see Casse make the decision to die for the human race and the practical issue that having the biplane keep pace while flying amongst F/A-18s was "just not believable". This alternate scene was added in the laserdisc special edition. The scripted version is also included in the film's novelization. *Russel's biplane was the only actual flying airplane seen in Independence Day as all the other fighter jets, airliners and other planes were either mockups, models or digital creations. *The exlplosion that Russel caused by flying into the weapon was the same exlplosion effect used for the destruction of the Empire State Building. The VFX-Team just turned the effect upside down. Appearances *''Independence Day'' (novel) *''Independence Day'' References Category:American military personnel Category:Americans Category:Characters Category:Independence Day Category:Independence Day (novel) characters Category:Pilots Category:Deceased